


Bloom

by emjoo



Category: Once Upon A Time - Fandom, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, RedBeauty, hanahaki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-13 23:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16901643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emjoo/pseuds/emjoo
Summary: It was no secret that Ruby Lucas was in love with none other than Belle French. The whole town could see it by the way the waitress would look at the librarian. Of course, nobody said anything. Between having to handle Rumpelstiltskin and her father, Belle clearly already had too much on her hands... that is, until Ruby starts to display rather obscure symptoms.





	1. Chapter 1

Belle French, Storybrooke’s librarian, the renowned bookworm with the most captivating aqua eyes and loose waves of auburn hair, had definitely captured quite a few hearts. Of these unfortunate lot stood out one woman who’d fallen for Belle’s charm — _Ruby Lucas_.

The oh-so-smitten Ruby couldn’t keep herself from staring at the woman’s bright blue orbs that seemed to resemble whole oceans, and every once in a while she would so much as physically swoon at the sound of Belle’s voice, the sweet, _sweet_  melody of the princess’ accented tone soothing to the young woman’s ears.

It was a challenge to draw her attention away from the beauty that frequented her grandmother’s diner, but it was one she had no intention of taking on. That is, until she found herself rushing to the grimy restroom of the diner, lurching over the toilet and gagging as the rusty taste of blood creeped at her tongue.

Her eyes glossed over her reflection in the reddened water, and with a gasping wheeze, a single bloodied rose petal escaped Ruby’s lips, leaving the woman in a coughing fit as she tried to soothe her aching throat. She’d thought it was just a reaction to that odd enchanted tea Regina had made her drink a while back, claiming to ease the effort of controlling the wolf when it took over, but instead she found out that the petal meant so much more.

It was Granny who first noticed the pieces of flora scattered around the inn. Initially, she’d just assumed Ruby had been having certain guests over and the flower petals were simply there to set the mood, but one morning a harsh string of noises, sharp coughs, woke her up, and what she’d found when she entered Ruby’s bedroom was one she never fathomed she’d set her eyes on.

Her granddaughter lay on the carpeted floor of the room, rose petals strewn messily around her face and tear stains marking her cheeks. A consult from Blue confirmed Granny’s worst fears. Ruby had been fallen ill to the Hanahaki Disease.

It was a sickness that had come all the way from the other realm. Fairies of the older times used the disease to taunt those with wrongful infatuations, to correct the flow of life and lead people to who their true love truly was. The practices had long been shut down, but often times the symptoms still manifested in the descendants of those who’d been infected by the disease when they’d fall for someone who, as much as they hated to admit it, did not love them back.

When Ruby had been updated with the diagnosis, she felt her heart drop. For months, she’d been pushing away the thought, but there it was, with fairy magic proving it all...

 _She was in love with Belle French, but Belle French was not in love with her,_ and in that moment, she was certain a lifetime of coughing up rose petals was much less painful than the burdensome truth.

 

* * *

 

Many had heard of the pain that the Hanahaki Disease brought with it, and they’d also been acquainted with tales of how one falls sick of such disorder, and it wasn’t long until people connected the dots and realized it was her longing for the librarian across town that set off the blooming roses in the wolf’s chest.

Of course, there were some lucky few who defied the fairies’ plan; those who were fortunate enough to brave through the grim circumstances and gain the love of those they admired. However, as the days, weeks, and months dragged on, it had seemed as though this was not an option for Ruby, especially with the news of Belle going out with someone new, a man named Will, they said. 

As the townspeople offered their sympathy to Ruby, the fairies were hard at work, searching for a solution to finally rid her of the excruciating pain that came with each petal that made its way up her throat, each flower that blossomed inside her, pressing against her airway and threatening her life.

Eventually, that solution did come.

"In a sense, the cure is fairly simple," Belle stated, pointing to a line in an old fairy spell book that had been tucked away in the library. "The fairies would cast a spell on her to stop the buds from growing in her lungs and use their magic to remove the flowers deeply rooted in there, but there’s a catch..."

The librarian paused to glance at Ruby, who sat on her bed, awfully quiet, then shifted her gaze to meet Granny’s eyes as she frowned. "Her feelings for whoever she loves, well, those would be removed as well." A hush fell over the room, and Ruby pursed her lips to consider the plan. As she did, Belle’s curiosity perked up and she cautiously muttered, "May I ask who it is?"

The silence is broken by a hushed gasp from Ruby, followed by a series of coughs as more and more rose petals gushed out of her mouth. It’s Granny who answered Belle’s question with a bitter scowl. "That’s none of your darn business."

The snide comment made Belle back away and raise her hands in defeat. Sensing she couldn’t do much to help, she gave Ruby, who was brushing bloodied flowers off the bed, a quick hug. "I hope you make the right decision, Ruby," Belle spoke before bidding the former waitress goodbye.

She was about to make a remark about how ironic it was that Belle was the one to talk her through this, but by the time she opened her mouth to respond, the auburn-haired beauty was already walking away. Exasperatedly, Ruby sighed. "She doesn’t even realize that it’s her!" Then, more bleakly, "She doesn’t even know that my love for her is slowly killing me."


	2. Chapter 2

Granny pursed her lips, giving her granddaughter a look resembling something between concern and sympathy, and slowly perched herself on the edge of the bed. "I’m sorry this is happening," murmured Granny before wrapping her arms around the now-frail young woman.

Pressing a gentle kiss to Ruby’s temple, Granny sighed. "Are you going through with the cure?" she asked. It was a pointless question; Widow Lucas knew her granddaughter well enough to know how she would react, and sure enough, Ruby’s eyes widened for a split second as she profusely shook her head and sank further into her grandmother’s embrace.

"I can’t. It’s not reasonable for me to... to throw away my life all because I’ve got feelings for a girl who could never possibly feel the same way, I know that, but..." she croaked, trailing off as she got choked up in sobs, a flower petal or two escaping her lips.

Ruby took a deep breath, shutting her eyes tight as she did so. She grit her teeth, letting out an exhausted groan when she finally mustered the strength to finish her sentence. "I don’t think I can imagine a world where the simple mention of Belle doesn’t make me smile."

 

* * *

 

"Are you happy? With Will, I mean," Blue queried, eyes locked on the spell book, trying to master the spell for Ruby’s condition. She couldn’t be bothered to meet Belle’s eyes, not when Ruby’s life depended on how the spell would be cast by her and the other fairies.

Belle let out a small smile and nodded, but, realizing Blue’s gaze hadn’t been focused on her, replied, "It’s not too serious, but it’s new, exciting... definitely a breath of fresh air."

Hearing this, the head fairy raised a brow at Belle, sensing there to be some hope in curing Ruby without magic after all. "And you’re sure it’s really him that you want?" Blue asked. Some part of her was sure that she was clearly overstepping, but at the time it seemed to be worth it.

As she gave out a soft, slightly awkward chuckle, Belle, confused, said, "What?"

"I’m just saying, there might be someone else out there," muttered Blue, shrugging nonchalantly as she let her focus drift back to the spellbook. "Someone you might’ve never even considered could be your happy ending."

One of Belle’s brows shot up. "And who might that be?" she asked, stifling a chuckle and dusting off the covers of one of the books by the circulation desk. "I think I’d know my happy ending when I see it."

Blue perked up, trying to press further into Belle’s thoughts as she gave the librarian a smirk. "And what do you believe your happy ending would look like, Miss French?"

At this, Belle furrowed her brows, but nonetheless gave an answer straightaway. "Well, I’m guessing it would be with a man who loves adventure as much as I do. Somebody who wouldn’t mind getting lost in a book with me; someone loyal and kind. Someone who would be able to understand and see me for who I truly am, not just some girl who’s simply there for vanity’s sake."

Hearing this response, Blue broke into a slight grin. "Maybe what you need isn’t a man."

Not giving Belle the chance to ask what she meant, Blue shut the book and started to waltz out of the library. "I’m not saying Will is bad for you... but I just want you to know that somewhere out there, you falling in love with someone might just be saving their life."

 

* * *

 

"And just where do you think you’re going?"

Ruby was halfway into putting a jacket on when her grandmother barged into her bedroom. She frowned, tugging the fabric across her chest, as much as she could while in a coughing fit. "I’m going to the library," she croaked between the wheezing . "I don’t think I can live with myself if I don’t get to tell her how I feel."

Granny huffed, feet planted by the door and her hand gripping the doorknob rather intensely. "You are not going out there, girl."

Too tired to be bothered to come up with a retort, Ruby would sigh and go past gran and weakly marches away to the library, leaving Granny simply sighing and grumbling, "Alright, do what you please, child."

The scene unfolding at the library brings the rush coursing through Ruby’s muscles, the same rush that made her push right past her grandmother and make it oh so close to the library entrance, to a halt.

Visible through the glass panes on the library doors was the spectacle of Belle on her toes, wrapping her arms around Will, lips making contact to the man’s cheek for a split second before she backed away.

Ruby felt her heart clench, the longing ache in her chest worsening as she observed the way Belle’s hands had begun to clasp Will’s, their fingers twining together and smiles crossing both of their faces.

Taking one last solemn look at the sight, she muttered, mostly to herself, “She’s happy. You don’t want to ruin that.” Of course, as bad as the disease’s timing had proven itself to be, a cluster of flower petals bunched up at the base of Ruby’s windpipe, triggering a string of tussive breaths that cause her to stumble forward, rattling the doors.

‘ _Shit_ ,’ she thought. ‘Belle must have heard that.’ Panic coursed through the girl, and she could think of no other reaction than to run back to the diner, instantly regretting her decision to come out to town, to the library. ‘Granny was right. I should have just stayed home.’

Her ragged breaths coupled with the flowers taking up more of her chest, Ruby felt her lungs constrict with every step she took, but she couldn’t care any less. In her mind, the only thing that mattered was that Belle couldn’t see her like that, that Belle couldn’t find out, that Belle never learned of the feelings she had... at least _not while she was still alive_.

Little did she know that the display unfolding past the library doors had not been close what she had interpreted it to be at all.

Contrary to what Ruby believed, the gentle embrace was not one of overwhelming affection, but rather one of great sorrow, as it was probably the last one to be shared between the two. “I guess this is goodbye, then?” Will offered Belle a sad smile before giving her hands one last tight squeeze.

There was a bump against the library entrance, drawing the pair’s attention toward the white washed entryway. “What was that?” asked Belle, eyes narrowing into slits as she squinted to make out the identity of whoever it was that had been standing by the doors.

“Either my eyes are tricking me or that was Ruby Lucas,” Will answered, the red streaks in Ruby’s hair a dead giveaway. “What is she doing out of bed? I thought she was sick.”

A nagging curiosity knocked at her head, insistently questioning just who it was that had her friend so enthralled. As she pushed past the library’s entrance, the trail of flower petals brought a thought to her mind, and this passing thought, this silly, yet strangely plausible idea, shone a light to the conversation she’d had with Blue hours beforehand. 

**_What if it’s me?_ **


End file.
